


WE COULD’VE BEEN IN LOVE

by MUTTLESSBREEDING



Category: Columbine - Fandom
Genre: M/M, This is kinda shitty, but oh well, enjoy or something
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-18
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-03-07 22:20:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,709
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26954998
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MUTTLESSBREEDING/pseuds/MUTTLESSBREEDING
Summary: so we’re gonna pretend that they aren’t homophobic little assfaces and that dylan is actually abrosexual while eric is bisexual, and that they're out to each other cuz fuck y’all(abrosexual[ ab-roh-sek-shoo-uhl ]Someone who is abrosexual has a fluid sexual orientation. They experience different sexual orientations over time.)
Relationships: Dylric - Relationship, Eric Harris & Dylan Klebold, Eric Harris/Dylan Klebold
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	WE COULD’VE BEEN IN LOVE

**Author's Note:**

> so we’re gonna pretend that they aren’t homophobic little assfaces and that dylan is actually abrosexual while eric is bisexual, and that they're out to each other cuz fuck y’all
> 
> (abrosexual  
> [ ab-roh-sek-shoo-uhl ]  
> Someone who is abrosexual has a fluid sexual orientation. They experience different sexual orientations over time.)

_“What is it that you want in a relationship?”_

Dylan's question rang in his head, a never-ending echo. 

Eric didn’t really know. “Uh...well, I want to be able to laugh with them. I wanna be able to watch horror movies and listen to _my_ music with them. We should be able to say anything in front of each other, and...” He rambled on into the receiver, the phone feeling uncomfortable against his ear. He had no clue what he was going on about. 

But this was the only way they could communicate- Eric was off on vacation, hundreds of miles away from Dylan. It’d be a long while before he could see the blonde again.

It had only been two days, yet Eric already missed him 

What Dylan said next, though, made him speechless: 

”Kind of like us?”

It felt as though Dylan had just put a syringe filled with the memory-erasing serum from Divergent into his arm and pressed the plunger.

Eric couldn’t remember who he was or why for a few moments, it was as if his brain had done a factory reset.

The same seemed to happen to Dylan.

"Uh, I don't know how to respond to that," Eric let out a forced laugh.

"Dude I was actually confused about who said that at first, I literally don't remember saying that. What the hell."

"That fucking cleared my brain of all my memories, and I swear I hear static."

They continued to make jokes about it, trying to ignore the can of worms that had just been opened. 

"Dude, we should put this in our calenders. Make it a fucking holiday, and every year we'll celebrate it by not talking to each other for the whole day," Eric suggested, only half-joking.

"OH MY GOD, YES!" Dylan literally fucking screamed into the phone, startling Eric into a fit of laughter. They then spent the next 10 minutes trying to figure a perfect name for the new holiday. 

So they wrote it down. _April 15th, 1997, The Day Of The Static._ It was their own personal holiday. 

A couple of hours later, Kathy was banging on Eric's hotel door, telling him to go to bed ( _"It's 1 in the morning and we have a busy day tomorrow!")._ So Eric begrudgingly hung up. 

The next day they called again, then the next day, and the next. Yet, neither referenced _The Day Of The Static_ nor attempted to finish the conversation. Everything went unsaid.

It was eating Eric up inside.

Now, Eric and Dylan had made jokes about dating before, the two of them even agreed to get married to each other if they ended up thirty-five and single. But it was always just that, a joke. They hadn't ever sat down and had a serious conversation about it.

Maybe it was time.

\-- 

It felt like years, but finally, Eric was home.

It had been 3am when they had pulled into his driveway, and Eric had been so exhausted he just collapsed onto his bed, not bothering to tell Dylan about his arrival home. 

It wasn't until the next morning did Eric go over to Dylan's house to surprise him. Dylan had let out an excited shriek, running over and nearly tackling the shorter boy. 

They ran up to Dylan's room, Eric throwing himself onto the bed, going on about his vacation. Dylan had sat on him, and Eric shoved him off. They laughed and cracked jokes, teasing each other and just overall fucking around. What they always did. But at the back of his mind, Eric was still obsessing over their relationship.

During his time gone, Eric had thought about him and Dylan. 

Dylan was his best friend, his partner in crime, the only fucking person who would ever understand him. Eric didn't want to think of a world where Dylan wasn't anything else to him. 

Eric would do anything for the younger male, he'd fucking rip his own head off and let Dylan use it as a goddamn soccer ball for fucks sake.

But that was beside the point.

_Would I ever date him?_

Why the answer was quite obvious. 

_Of course._

And _of course,_ Dylan felt the same, every time either had them joked about dating it had always been Dylan to bring it up. Hell, Dylan had been the one to suggest the whole getting-married-if-thirty-five-and-single thing. 

Eric didn't doubt it.

_But should I just pop the question? How the hell does one just...ask out their best friend?_

Eric was sure there was a way but decided to just leave it be for now.

There will always be later. 

And for now, it'd just be better to enjoy the time they have together. 

**FIVE MONTHS LATER**

"Dude, Bryon told me that he thinks we're gonna start dating," Dylan chuckled, taking a sip of the strangely sweet, red drink he had gotten from Taco Bell. The sun was scorching against their backs, as it was near the end of summer. Eric and Dylan had left their trench coats home, in favor of black short-sleeve band tees. 

Eric let out a dry, tired laugh. He was happy for Dylan, he and his brother had been spending more time together and they've become quite close. Hell, Dylan was even able to come out to him. 

But, Dylan was fucking killing Eric with this shit. Ever since April, all Eric could ever think of was Dylan. All Eric wanted to do was ask the blonde out, but any time he could even try and bring up "the conversation," Dylan quickly shut him down and the conversation was left unfinished. 

Dylan would reference them dating, Eric would joke about how they're "a couple but without the benefits," Dylan would agree, and the conversation would fall away. 

That was it.

Eric was becoming obsessive.

He no longer cared about those girls he had sworn he had been "in love with." The one's he had pretended to kill himself over. He only cared about Dylan. But Dylan obviously didn't feel the same. All the time, Dylan would go on long rants about whomever it was he was crushing on at the time. 

"Y'know, all we constantly do is joke about dating and shit, but when are we actually gonna... _talk_ about it? When are we going to just take a moment to genuinely talk about us?" Eric stared at his feet while he walked. The sidewalk was all jacked up and he basically had to hop over the massive fucking cracks. 

"I...I dunno," Dylan shrugged, seeming quite careless on the topic. It pissed Eric off.

But he stayed quiet, and they moved on, talking about other things.

And after that, Eric told himself to move on.

He told himself to stop trying. To fucking give up.

But we all know it isn't that easy.

\--

"Eric! What the hell dude? I haven't seen you in forever!" Dylan's tone was a mix of confusion and glee. 

Eric, feigning indifference, merely smiled, "oh, y'know, been busy."

Dylan frowned, "yeah right, busy with what?"

"School and shit," another fucking lie. Eric didn't have a choice. He couldn't tell Dylan about how he had actually been avoiding him. Eric couldn't stand being with Dylan, every time he even thought of the blue-eyed idiot his heart hurt. 

He had to leave Dylan alone, he had to move on. Dylan deserved the world, and Eric wasn't even close to being that.

Dylan eyed him suspiciously but left it alone. They then spent the day together, doing what they always did.

\--

"Okay, Eric, cut the fucking shit. What the hell is wrong? You've been acting so weird all fucking day."

Later that night, Eric was in fucking agony. Especially when Dylan had started talking about "this cute guy I saw at the gas station..."

Dylan was sitting cross-legged on the dirt while Eric was leaning against his car. They were both looking at the beach in from of them. It was chilly out and the sun had long since set. The brunette was disgusted by all the trash that was littered everywhere. 

Eric let out an irritated huff, "you really want to know?" Dylan nodded, slightly glaring up at him.

So, Eric let him have it. 

"You're such an arrogant asshole! I have been trying for so fucking long to tell you about how I feel, but you never give me a goddamn chance! All you do is go on about these people who will only hurt you! Dylan, I fucking love you so much. All I can ever think of is you! All I can ever think of is how much I _love_ you!"

Eric kicked at the pebbles in front of him, a scowl on his face. Dylan just stared up at him, gawking. He looked like a goddamn idiot. 

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Eric couldn't take it anymore. 

"Well? You gon' say anything?!" Eric snapped.

"I...I dunno what to say," Dylan mumbled, staring at his hands.

"Say literally anything, please. I'm begging you."

"Eric...I love you...you know that. But just, not like that."

Tears welled up in his hazel eyes, and Eric just nodded.

What else was he supposed to do? He couldn't just...force Dylan to date him. That's not how relationships work.

So, instead, they finally had an adult conversation about _them_.

In the end, they agreed that it'd be best to stay friends. It killed Eric inside, but Dylan just didn't feel the same. They left it at that.

By 3am it was decided that they should head home. But, just before they had both gotten into Eric's car, the older boy couldn't help but say one last thing:

"We could've been in love."

Dylan gave Eric a look of pity. "I know," his voice leaked with sympathy. 

With that, they got into the car and Eric drove Dylan home.

\--

Nothing ever transpired between them, and on April 20th, 1999, they died alone.

Eric pushed away his feelings, pretending they didn't exist. He did that until his last moments on Earth.

"Hey, Reb?"

"Yeah, V?"

"I love you."

"I love you, too."

Their last words had echoed in the library, and seconds later, so did the gunshots.


End file.
